Louver type fences



April 23, 1957 B. F. DAVIS LOUVER TYPE FENCES Filed 001:. 31, 1955 s Mm mw M TA M N 0 E VF; T. N T I /MA Y 8/ 2 G F J l i United States Patent "ice LOUVER TYPE FENCES Bernard F. Davis, Saginaw, Mich. Application October 31, 1955, Serial No. 543,969 3 craims. (Cl. 256-24) This invention relates to louver type fences and more particularly to prefabricated mounting strips for such fences which can be very simply mounted on the fence rails or the posts. 1

Various members having pivotally supported clips for reciving louvers or slats are known, however none can to my knowledge be mounted on fence sections without considerable difficulty. Further the'clips are not seemingly designed to protect the louvers nor to support them in balance so that they can be easily adjusted to the angle desired.

One of the prime objects of the instant invention is to design a mounting strip of the type described, with pivotally supported, permanently mounted louver receiving clips, which is very easy to mount on a fence member.

A further object of the invention is to design a prefabricated strip of the character described which protects the ends of the louvers and tends to prevent them from checking or splitting.

Another object of the invention is to design a prefabricated mounting strip in which the clips are centrally pivotal so that the louvers are supported in balance and can be very easily adjusted to an angle at which they will remain until readjusted.

A further object of the invention is to design a louver construction in which no part of the construction extends laterally outwardly of the clips to furnish a foothold for anyone who might attempt to climb the fence and in so doing inadvertently damage the assembly, and no part of the assembly interferes with the painting of exposed portions of the fence.

Another object of the invention is to design a prefabricated strip suitable for horizontal or vertical disposition to support vertical or horizontal louvers respectively.

Another object is to provide a strip having clips so designed that the louvers can be easily mounted therein and as easily removed without injury to the strip to facilitate replacement of the slats in the event they are damaged.

Further it is an object of the invention to provide prefabricated strips which can be easily demounted without injury to the strips or louvers should it become desirable to disassemble the fence for relocation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a prefabricated mounting strip of simple and practical design which can be very economically manufactured and assembled on a quantity production scale.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that equivalent changes may be made in the various elements which comprise the invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings- 2,789,792 Patented Apr. 23, 1957 Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a louver fence with my prefabricated strips mounted in position on the top and' bottom rails to adjustably support vertical slats or louvers.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view showing one of the clips in detail.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, sectional, end view through the mounting strip on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing in which I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, a letter F generally indicates a louverfence section which includes posts 10 and a top and bottom rail 11 and 12 respectively forming the frame of a fence section. In the drawing I have shown my prefabricated mounting strips S as secured to the top and bottom rails 11 and 12 to support vertical louvers 13,

however it should be understood that the strips S could have as conveniently been mounted on the posts 10 to support horizontally disposed louvers.

Preferably the strips S, including the U shaped clips 14 which receive the louvers 13, are fabricated of sheet metal and can be very easily and economically formed on conventional, quantity production machines. The

base 15 of the strip S is U-shaped in mass shown, with laterally extending flanges 15a of an extent greater than the width of the body portion 15b of the base 15. Openings 16 to permit the strip to be nailed or screwed to the fence rails or posts are punched in the flanges 15a at spaced apart intervals equidistant between spaced apart openings 17 which are punched in the portion 15b of each strip S. Rivets 18 with heads 18a inside the portions 15b extend through the openings 17 and through openings 14a punched centrally in the backs of the clips 14. Washers 19 are interposed on the rivets 18 between the portions 15b and the clips 14 and the outer ends of the rivets are, of course, upset as at 18b to hold the clips on the rivets. Formed in the side Walls of the clips 14 are openings 20 and screws 21 may extend therethrough to secure the slats 13 in position so that the louvers need not be of exact length. It is to be observed that the clips 14 and washer 19 turn freely on the rivets 18 and are perfectly balanced for easy adjustment since they are centrally mounted. Further it is important to note that the clips cover the entire ends of the louvers and prevent checking of the ends thereof.

The clips may, of course, be made up to accommodate louvers of various widths and thicknesses and the length of the louvers will depend on the distance beween the clips on the upper and lower members 15 or the distance be tween clips on vertically disposed members 15 if the fence is to have horizontal louvers. It is important that fence louvers be properly balanced inasmuch as they are substantial members of generally at least the order of standard 1 by 6 or 1 by 4 boards in thickness and Width respectively.

It will be observed that the clips 14 and portions 15!) are of substantially the same width. This construction prevents the bottom strip 15 from furnishing much of a toehold and provides a maximum of bearing surface for the clips 14.

To mount the strips and thence the louvers in position is a very simple matter. If the clips 14 are all turned crosswise to the strips, access may be had to the openings 16 and the strips may be simply nailed to the inner faces of the top and bottom rails with the clips 14 in vertical alignment. The louvers 13 may then be quickly sawed to length and fitted in the clips. The offset screws 21 will, as noted, secure the louvers in position in the clips.

It is to be understood that the drawings and descriptive matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illus trative of the principles of the invention rather than as limiting the same in any way since it is contemplated that various changesmawhe'made in the various elementsto achieve like results without departing from the spirit of tlie'invent'ion or the scope o'f'the appended claims.

I claim:

7 1, Amoutdoon louveredr fence construction comprising mpairr-of spaced. aparttposts; spacedltopm-nd bottom'rails connecting; said;posts; a-pair. of. generally u-shaped strips having avbody section. from which laterallyextending flanges project; meansssecuringthe:flanges. of each; strip towone-of. saidrails; agplurality of pairs of embracing clips swivelly mounted. on each offsaid strips; means swivelly and-permanently connecting, each of said clips to. saidastrip. substantially, centrally of the. clip and. re.- straining, their disengagement 'fiomsaid strip and; a plurality of slat members each having angend thereof, re-

ceivedinieach cIipJofr'eachpair. of clips, each ofisaid clips having a length. no greater 'than-thewidth, of the rail on.

WhjCh it: issupportedby one. of. said strips; but being no less than. therlonger dimension; of the slat; end received therein 2.. Ansoutdoor louvered fence construction. comprising spaced apart rails; spacedapartrailsconnecting said first railsinear the ends thereof. to define with said first rails 21 generally rectangular opening; oppositely disposed, generally U-shaped. strips, having laterally extending flanges.

extending. from v the sidesof said U-shaped strips,. extendmgr-longitudinally along each of said first spaced rails 74. bordering said opening; means for securing said flanges of the strips to the rails; a series of embracing clips having'bacli sections and side sections swivelly mounted on each of said strips in back to back opposing relation with the body portions of the strips, means swivelly connecting each of said clips to said strips substantially centrally relative to the length of each clip for balanced pivoting on said strip, means. restraining disengagement of said clips from said strips, said means swivelly conandiitsz associated strip isspa'ced by a bearingwasher on said rivet.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,701,695. 1 Paine Feb. 12, 1929 1,888,522 Ward.-- Nov. 22, 1932 

